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EAST KELOWNA SLOPES Wine Country
East Kelowna Slopes Wine region
The East Kelowna Slopes Sub-GI is an area of 6178 acres with around 203 acres of vineyard, mostly defined by the escarpment overlooking Mission Creek and the floodplain between Mission Creek and Bellevue Creek in south-east Kelowna. Some vineyards are close enough to benefit from the moderating effects of Okanagan Lake.
The northerly latitude of this sub-GI makes for a cool climate, but the gentle sloping vineyards have good air drainage making for a long growing season. Featuring prominently on the border of the East Kelowna Slopes sub-GI is the Mission Creek escarpment which wraps around the north of the region and then rises up to the rocky areas at elevations between 500-550 metres in the south towards Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. The south-west corner boundary is the escarpment overlooking Bellevue Creek.
FACT: Estimated average 1340 growing degree days.
FACT: The slopes and terraces with their north-west aspect are mostly coarse gravel and sand glaciofluvial (glacial meltwater) and fluvial (stream deposited non-glacial) soils. There is some glaciolacustrine (lake bottom) soils below 450 metres elevation and in the north-west area glaciofluvial soils over glaciolacustrine.
Home to some of the oldest operating vineyards in the Okanagan Valley including Sperling and Tantalus Vineyards.
Fun Fact
EAST KELOWNA SLOPES
WINERIES
Exploring British Columbia’s vineyards reveals the unique terroir & diverse varietals flourishing in this picturesque Canadian province.
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